Novum Corpus Evangelion
by dudewhatwalks
Summary: In the year 2030, the Gods of Men are called upon once more to fulfill their ultimate mission: the completion of Third Impact.
1. The Magician

Novum Corpus Eschatelion

1: The Magician

Shinji Ikari stood on the roof of the United Nations-owned ship _Vishnu_, listening to Holst's _The Planets _through a pair of headphones. In Shinji's opinion, the harshness of the sound complemented the scene: the wind and rain beating against his face, the waves crashing against the sides of the boats, and above, a furious storm raging down onto the fleet. He closed his eyes, and for a moment he was alone with the music.

He felt someone tapping on his shoulder, and whipped around so fast the unfortunate lieutenant jumped back in alarm. As Shinji took out his earbuds, the young woman was already bowing and apologizing in an unintentional falsetto.

"Pardon me, sir, it's just that the Lieutenant General wanted you on the bridge - sorry, sir, that's all I - "

She stopped talking when she felt Shinji walk past her silently. The lieutenant stared for a moment, then, remembering her duty, ran after him.

* * *

Shinji entered the bridge during a rare moment of serenity. Although all the crewmembers were still eying their monitors tensely, there was no current crisis that needed to be addressed. He smiled. _Leave it to Ayanami to keep things like this._

With that thought, he advanced to his own seat to see the Lieutenant General sitting in it. She did not move as he approached, but simply smiled.

"You're in my seat, Lieutenant General," he said.

"Just keeping it warm for you," she replied. "I thought you might like to know - the helicopter carrying the Third Child is due to arrive in less than an hour. Perhaps you'd like to head down to the hangar and prepare an introduction?"

Shinji smiled. "I think I will - though I'd leave any introductions to Nagisa. Can I trust you to keep things as quiet up here as they already are, Ayanami?"

"No problem, Ikari," said Lieutenant General Rei Ayanami. As Shinji turned and walked away, she leaned back in her seat with her hands behind her head. Her eyes were shut, so that anyone on the bridge would have thought she was napping, but with one eye she watched the General pull something on a chain out from under his shirt and examine it.

_Calling on his guardian angel once again?_

* * *

As a child, Misato Katsuragi had always told herself that she would grow up to be a strong and stylish woman, a hero of love and justice who always had a trick up her sleeve. Now, though, she would be happy not to feel so terribly out-of-place.

When the men in black had arrived at her doorstep the previous evening, she'd been anxious and confused. Their only given command - "Follow" - did nothing to alleviate either feeling. Add to that the fact that for the last twelve hours, she'd been stuck in a cramped aircraft with at least a dozen adult men…she was beginning to fear for her life.

When the door finally opened, she did not assume it was for her. She tried to hide herself from the new incomer on the plane, but could not help but look up when she heard him call, "Misato Katsuragi?"

He was the most beautiful man Misato had ever seen. His skin was pale and flawless, with not a single mark or blemish, his eyes were a striking crimson, and his hair flopped lazily on his head. At the sight of him, she smiled.

"That's me," she said, bowing quickly. The man smiled.

"A pleasure to meet you at last," he said. He gestured to the door and said, "Follow."

The left the aircraft at last. Misato paused when she got out, staring at the soldiers still inside.

"Don't worry about them," the man said without even turning around. "That was your security detail."

"My what?" Misato sounded shocked, but the man did not stop or even slow down for her. With a sigh, she ran to catch up with him.

"I'm Doctor Nagisa," the man said, apropos of nothing. "But please, call me Kaworu."

"Uh, thanks, Kaworu," Misato said. As they passed from the deck to the interior of the ship, she asked, "So, where are we going?"

Kaworu stopped and turned around, beaming brilliantly at her. His face was a picture of beauty and madness all at once.

"Misato Katsuragi," he said, "today is when you meet your destiny."

As he spoke, her eye was drawn to an insignia on the wall behind him: an eye, drawn in light blue colors, with the words 'Ultima Thule' written below it.

"'Ultima Thule,'" she said. "What does that mean?"

"It's Latin," Kaworu said. "It means 'End of the World.'"

* * *

At that moment, a merchant vessel en route from Hawai'i to Seattle was struck by undersea shockwaves. The captain ordered the dumping of all non-essential cargo, but before his order could be carried out, the ship itself was thrown into the air by a massive explosion directly beneath it. For an instant, the ship hung still in midair 40 meters above sea level. When that instant ended, it was torn in half and sent tumbling to the depths.

Deep beneath the sea, the creature woke. It fixed one eye towards the surface, and willed itself to move _up, up, up. _It surfaced among the wreckage of the tanker, and ignoring the screams of those whom it met there, it swam west - towards the island of Honshu.

* * *

"Misato," Kaworu said as the two of them stepped into an elevator, "what do you know about Second Impact?"

Misato blinked, trying to conjure up everything she knew. "Well, let's see. It started when a…do you call it a meteor or a meteorite? Well, a _whatever _crashed into the north pole and knocked Earth slightly out of orbit, and that's why we don't have summer anymore, though mankind was spared the worst of the damage - a few coastal regions surrounding the circle were flooded, but most of the affected areas were uninhabited."

"That's what they tell you in school, huh?" said Kaworu, smirking. "Allow me, then, to inform you of the truth."

The elevator stopped, but Kaworu blocked the exit with his arm.

"In 2015, mankind discovered an alien entity beneath the arctic ice," he said. "When it awakened, its power was so great that it caused an explosion which devastated the northern hemisphere. That was Second Impact." He took his arm back. "Ultima Thule exists to clean up the mess we left behind."

Misato was awed by the intensity of his speech, such that she could not reply at first - and when she did, she was only able to squeak out a quiet, "We?"

Kaworu blinked in confusion, then smiled. "Long story, I'm afraid," he said. "Now hurry along - we've got business to attend to."

* * *

The bridge was the very picture of panic. One hour and twenty minutes after the General had left, all the instruments had gone off at once. Everyone knew all too well what that meant.

"Suzuhara?" Rei said, rising out of the captain's seat.

"Yes, General?" said the lieutenant - the same one who had retrieved the General."

"Contact Geneva," she said through gritted teeth. "Tell them that the first of the Emissaries has announced its presence…_violently._"

* * *

"Hey - why's it so dark in here?"

She heard a click, and the lights came on suddenly. Misato wished they hadn't.

She and Kaworu were standing on a platform above a large liquid-filled tank. Submerged up to its neck in the liquid in front of them was a massive humanoid object. Misato had seen pictures of demons both eastern and western, and none compared to seeing this. It had a long fish-like head with no eyes, massive teeth bared in a grotesque grin, and chalk-white armor covering it from head to toe.

"What is that?" was all she could say, and she stared at Kaworu desperately. He was staring up, though, and following his gaze she saw another man standing on a platform above theirs.

"This is an Evangelion," said the stranger. "Specifically, Evangelion Unit 06. You, Misato Katsuragi…you will be the pilot."

"The pilot?" Misato cried in response. "What do you mean? You want me to ride in this thing?"

"That's correct."

"That's insane!" Misato said, clenching her fist. "What the hell is an 'Evangelion', anyway? Why do you even need these?"

The stranger did not respond. Instead he stared down at Misato with a strange look on his face - it might have been amusement.

"This is our weapon of choice," he called, "for the sake of saving the world."

Misato turned to glare at Kaworu, and saw that he was looking down. She looked back at this stranger, and said just one thing: "Who are you, anyway?"

"I am Shinji Ikari," he said, and she felt that he was no longer looking at her. "_General _Shinji Ikari, actually - so that should have been, 'Who are you anyway, _sir._'"

Already Misato had no love for this General. She was about to shoot another attack at him when the vessel shook violently, throwing she and Kaworu to the ground. Kaworu was up in a heartbeat.

"You know what that means, General," he shouted. "There's no time left."

Misato felt herself being seized by the arm and lifted into the air, and then found herself staring directly into Kaworu's face.

"You will pilot it," he said. There was no trace of doubt in his voice, and that made it worse for Misato.

"Let go of me!" She forced his arm off and drew away, clutching her wrist. "You can't possibly make me pilot this thing! I just got here!"

"You can learn," Kaworu said.

"No way."

Above them, the General sighed. He spoke to a monitor - "Ayanami, is Unit 07 ready for launch?"

"Yes, sir," came the response. "Should I contact the _Arjuna _and give the order?"

"It will be necessary," said Shinji, turning away, "if our spare does not cooperate."

Kaworu took Misato by the arm, saying, "Let's go to the bridge."

* * *

Ritsuko Akagi relished everything about LCL. From the touch to the taste to the smell that lingered on her after she got out of the entry plug, she loved it. By itself, this was enough to make most of the staff at Ultima Thule avoid her. But she didn't care.

When they pulled her out of the hospital and wheeled her over to the hangars, she felt her heart beating furiously. When they carried her into the entry plug itself, she felt as though she might burst. How long had it been, since she was able to run?

"Eva Unit 07, cleared for launch," came the voice over the intercom.

With that, the locks on the Evangelion's shoulders were released, and Ritsuko sank into the water.

_SWIM_

The Evangelion's legs kicked, and it was propelled to the surface.

"Ritsuko, the target is 300 meters north of you," the General said, his voice distorted by static. "I need you to engage and disable it before it can reach the coastline. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir," she responded, and then she was off again.

* * *

"Impressive, isn't it?" Kaworu said to Misato. "With sufficient skill, any pilot can move like that."

His words did not register. Misato stood at the window, staring awestruck at the pale white behemoth streaking across the water faster than anything she'd ever seen. She did not believe that beautiful thing there in the water was anything like that horrid monster they'd shown her downstairs. But there was something wrong.

"The pilot of that thing," she said. "It's a kid, just like me - right?"

Kaworu shifted uncomfortably.

"That's correct," he said.

Suddenly, a cry came from behind them.

"The enemy is surfacing rapidly!" cried one of the techies. "It will make contact with the Evangelion in…zero seconds!"

The entire bridge watched in horror as the white Evangelion slammed into an unseen barrier. It fell back into the water limply as its opponent rose out of the depths.

"Dear God," Kaworu murmured. "The Magician."

In that instant, although no one saw it, both the General and the Lieutenant General shot Kaworu looks that could have killed a lesser man. The other staff were too entranced by the image of the thing itself. It was as tall as a battleship stood on end and approximated a human shape - albeit distorted and stretched to grotesque degrees. Both of its arms were thick and rippled with muscle. They were covered by the same black, rubbery skin that covered the rest of the body. It had no head, but at the center of its 'chest' was a mask that resembled a skull.

Kaworu ran over to one of the monitors.

"Is Ritsuko still alive?" he said, bluntly, to the techie stationed there.

"Yes," she replied. "Heart rate is normal…blood pressure normal…"

"What about feedback from the blow?" pressed Kaworu.

"She's recovering," the techie said, "and rising…she'll surface in - "

* * *

Ritsuko roared in pain at the impact and clutched her forehead. _That's not your arm, that's not your arm, _she told herself, but it did not lessen the pain. Much the better - her anger would be her fuel.

She had fallen into the water after colliding with the enemy. Now, with a few furious kicks, she went rocketing back up to the surface.

When she reached the air, she grabbed a progressive knife from her shoulder and stabbed it into her opponent's chest. But when she was an inch from its skin, a massive barrier of light flashed into existence, blinding her and stopping the blade.

"An AT field, huh?" she muttered. "No matter."

With a grunt, she broke through the field and groped with the knife. She struck the creature's mask, shattering it into two pieces. Ritsuko saw, in the space underneath, a glowing red orb.

* * *

"Ritsuko," Shinji shouted into his earpiece, "focus on the core. Try to get this sample in as intact a form as you can manage!"

"Yes, sir," was Ritsuko's reply. Out in the waters, she was wrestling with the beast, holding onto its belly with one hand and trying to penetrate the core with the other. At the same time, her enemy was beating against its own chest in an attempt to force her off. When one blow landed on the Evangelion's ankle with a loud crack, the entire bridge cringed.

Misato, who had up to that point been staring in wide-eyed silence at the battle, whipped around.

"General Ikari," she said, in as level a voice as she could muster, "I want to pilot."

* * *

"Misato, you may experience some difficulty with sync, since we couldn't get a plugsuit for you."

"Got it," Misato said.

"Oh, and don't worry about the LCL."

"The what?"

"Sorry. Kaworu out."

With those words, two vents on either side of the plug opened and a red-orange liquid began to pour in. Misato yelped.

"Like I said, don't worry - that's necessary for piloting." Kaworu sounded amused, but at least he wasn't laughing outright.

After the LCL had filled the plug, it became translucent. This calmed Misato - the taste wasn't gone, but at least it was easier to ignore when it looked like there was nothing there.

"Evangelion Unit 06, ready for launch," she shouted.

* * *

Kaworu turned to the General.

"Ritsuko's a capable pilot," he said. "She may be able to handle the Emissary on her own."

Shinji shook his head, and Kaworu sighed.

"Give the order, then," he said dejectedly.

"Unit 06," said Shinji, "cleared for launch."

* * *

The clamps that had secured Unit 06 were released, and Misato plunged into the water.

"Just focus on swimming for now," Kaworu said. "Concentrate on the thought, and the Eva should obey you."

Misato shut her eyes and concentrated deeply. She imagined what it would be like to swim perfectly, what the motions would be - and, just as they had said, the Eva obeyed. There was a sigh of relief on the other end of the line.

"The target is at one o'clock," came the voice, Shinji this time. "Engage with it."

Misato obeyed, turning 30 degrees to her right and kicking off. After half a minute drifting, she saw the enemy underwater, still grappling with Ritsuko. Her progressive knife was pinned into its shoulder, and the arm that had held it was limp. Misato swore.

"Damn it," she said. "Hang on!"

She drove forward, extending her arms to grip on to her enemy's arm. She slammed into it much faster than she had expected, and to her alarm, she began to rise out of the water.

* * *

Ritsuko raised her eyebrows in confusion. The other Evangelion was clinging quite comically to their enemy's arm, and the Apostle was shaking it furiously in an attempt to remove her. Anyone else would have laughed at the sight. Anyone else but Ritsuko Akagi.

"Unit 06, you will pass within 10 meters of my unit in 30 seconds," she said over the other pilot's cries. "Have your progressive knife ready and throw it to me."

"WHAT WAS THAT?" the other pilot yelled. "SORRY, I CAN'T - "

"Give me the knife!" Ritsuko shouted.

The other pilot seemed to hear her, because when she next came close, she yanked the knife out of the pylon on the Eva's shoulder and threw it to Ritsuko. In the water, it moved slowly - but when Ritsuko caught it, she jammed the blade into the enemy's core without hesitation.

In that instant, the Emissary was still.

* * *

Within her own entry plug, Misato stared at the Apostle in bewilderment. One minute, it had been swinging its arms furiously, the next, it was completely still. This left her hanging from its arm by one hand - and, to add injury to insult, she felt the aching in her socket as well.

"Well," she muttered, "at least we won."

She looked at Eva-07, which was no rising out of the water in wake of its grisly triumph.

"That girl's really something, huh?"

* * *

The general feeling on the bridge was somewhere between stunned and disappointed. Rei had to resist the urge to say, "That was it?" Thankfully the General interjected first.

"Retrieve both units," he shouted. "Have medical support on hand for any injuries the pilots may have sustained…Ayanami, come with me."

He turned and left the room. Rei followed him, smirking.

* * *

Ritsuko climbed out of the entry plug, still dripping with LCL. Her Evangelion had been picked up by a ship and was now being towed along as they trundled towards their final destination.

That was not on Ritsuko's mind, however. She was staring at the other Evangelion, which was being lifted out of the ocean by a squad of helicopters.

"The Third Child," she muttered. "What a fool."

With that, she leapt down to the deck and went inside.


	2. The High Priestess

Novum Corpus Evangelion

2: The High Priestess

The conference room aboard the _Vishnu _was a cylindrical chamber with walls of black glass and steel floors. It was empty except for a single seat. When Shinji Ikari entered, he took this seat.

As he did, the walls of the room lit up, and 13 icons appeared on the wall - the Wands suit of the Tarot, minus the King. The images of the cards rotated on the wall, until Shinji was facing the Ace.

"You did fairly well, Ikari," it said. "Inelegant, but effective."

"However," came another voice, and now the cards rotated so that he could face the Five of Wands, "your sloppiness prevented us from retrieving Hapi's body."

"I wasn't aware that was your goal," Shinji said glibly. He smiled, and the cards flashed - changing from Wands to Coins.

"Understand your position, Ikari," said the Four of Coins. "You were chosen as our agent in this battle, but that does not mean you cannot be replaced."

"I am aware of that," Shinji said, "but still I don't fear you."

There was silence, until the Ace spoke again.

"You are wise," it said, "but your wisdom may damn you yet. Let us speak no more."

The icons faded, and Shinji was alone in the room again. Not alone, in truth - for Rei stood at the doorway, just in earshot.

"Any questions?" Shinji asked, standing up.

"None at all," Rei replied. "Well, one - what are we going to do about Misato?"

* * *

Misato shifted on her feet uncomfortably. The seawater was splashing over the edge of the boat and into her face, and the sky looked like it was about to start raining - why had Kaworu insisted on bringing her out now?

"How long are we going to wait here?" she asked him. He was standing ramrod straight and staring out onto the sea with the hint of a smile on his face.

"You mean you don't see it?" was his infuriating reply. "I suppose it is a bit foggy…but if you look closely…"

Misato squinted out into the mist, searching for anything that might be considered notable…and then she saw it: one massive peak, rising in the distance.

"Japan," she said.

"That's right," said Kaworu. "Welcome back, Misato Katsuragi."

_Back _was perhaps accurate, but it felt odd to her. Misato had lived in Japan for four months out of her life. After that, she had moved to California, and ended up more proficient in English than Japanese.

Still, it wouldn't be fair to say that she _wasn't _happy to be going back. She'd loved America, yes, but she always felt like a stranger. And wouldn't it be nice to thumb her nose at everyone who yelled "Go back to your own country!" by actually _doing _so?

Still, there was one thing that bothered her.

"Kaworu," she said, "where am I going to live?"

For once, he didn't seem to have an answer. After a moment, he finally smiled and replied.

"I suppose you'll live with someone on the staff."

"Could I live with you?" She tried to inject her voice with a bit of flirtatiousness, but to her chagrin it came out more like the tones of a child.

"I'm afraid not," Kaworu said, chuckling. "I'm already playing host to one Eva pilot; I don't think I could handle two."

With that, he walked away, leaving Misato alone and more than a little hurt.

* * *

With a great deal of anxiety, Sakura Suzuhara climbed up the ladder onto the roof of the ship. As she had expected, Commander Ikari was standing there, exactly as he had been the other day. The only difference was that today he had been the one to call her.

She walked forward five paces and saluted. "Second Lieutenant Sakura Suzuhara, reporting for duty," she said.

He turned around. To her great surprise, he was smiling.

"Lieutenant Suzuhara," he said, "thank you for coming. I know we're not exactly friends, so I don't want to seem presumptuous…but I've got a request of you that's not military in nature."

The lieutenant blushed and drew back. True, the General was a handsome man, but being so forward about it…

"We'll be arriving in Yokohoma in less than two hours," he said. "Once we disembark, we'll immediately return to Tokyo-3 - and when we do, I want you to bring the Third Child home with you."

Sakura blinked. "Sir?"

"Was I not clear enough, Lieutenant?" he said. "I've had all the necessary arrangements made. Just say the word and you'll become her legal guardian."

Sakura opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again, and swallowed.

"If I could just ask one question, sir," she said, "why did you choose me?"

The Commander smiled.

"Because you're a Suzuhara," he said.

* * *

For some reason, Misato had come down to the Eva cage again. The beast was currently being repaired from the limited damage it had sustained during the fight.

It was an ugly thing, no doubt about that. Its eyeless face was bad enough, but those lips and those _teeth…_it made her shiver.

But why, then, was she so drawn to it?

"Misato Katsuragi!"

Misato turned her head up. Standing on a raised platform above the Eva, among many orange-suited technicians, was a woman with short blue hair in a black uniform. Misato had seen her before, at General Ikari's side on the bridge, but she didn't know her name or what her job was. Even so, she saluted just to be safe.

"That's me, ma'am," said Misato. Her cheeks reddened as the woman laughed.

"Not a ma'am yet, I hope," she replied as she walked down a staircase to where Misato was standing. "I'm Lieutenant General Rei Ayanami, age 29, unmarried."

Misato bowed. "My apologies, miss. Uh…was there something you needed?"

"Yes," said Rei. "We're disembarking. Come along."

* * *

When Shinji and Kaworu reached the mainland, they were immediately taken to their personal transport: a limousine. It had been reserved for them, but it seemed the sort of thing more suiting a reality television star than military men. The only comfort was that it was well-stocked.

"Ayanami will be envious that she didn't get to ride with us," Kaworu said, taking a sip from a glass of brandy.

"I let her accompany Misato and Suzuhara," Shinji said. He had a drink of his own, but he hadn't touched it. "I think the girl needs company like them, not old men like us."

No words passed between the two men for almost a minute. Finally, Kaworu put down his drink and looked at his old friend seriously.

"How long has it been?" he asked. "Headquarters wasn't in great shape the last time we visited."

"The repairs are almost complete," Shinji said. "I just pity the ones who had to clear the place out."

* * *

Sakura glanced at the Third Child nervously. Ever since they had gotten off the boat, the girl hadn't said a word - she'd only stared out the window. Ayanami was no help; she was driving the car and was just as talkative as Misato was - though at least she looked a bit more chipper.

"So, Misato," Sakura said, "you lived in America for a while, right? What's it like over there?"

Misato glanced at her, then back to the window.

"It was alright, I guess," she said. "I can't really describe it, though, 'cause I never lived over here."

"Right," said Sakura, forcing a smile. "Forgot about that."

"What about you, Miss Sakura?" Misato said. "You're in the military; you must have seen a lot of different places."

Sakura shrugged. "Not really. Up until now, we spent most of our time on that ship."

"Really?" Misato seemed genuinely interested. "Why?"

Sakura was about to give an answer, but Ayanami got there first.

"You're not cleared to know that," she said, as cheerfully as she had ever said anything. Taking a moment to glance at the faces of the two women in her rear-view mirror, she then started humming along to a song that had just started playing on the radio.

Sakura and Misato shared a look. If they had been speaking, they may have said, "This girl scares me." "Oh yeah? Me too."

* * *

Kaworu returned home at seven o'clock. He hung up his coat on a hook in the wall, and then proceeded to the dining room. Ritsuko was there, as he had expected. She was sitting at the table, playing a video game with a look of complete and utter ennui on her face.

"I'm home," he said. Ritsuko muttered 'Welcome home' in reply and went on playing her game. Kaworu sighed and sat down across from her.

"Are you upset, Ritsuko?" he asked.

Ritsuko looked up. "About what?"

"You know what I mean." Kaworu leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. "The new girl. The Third Child."

"I wasn't aware that I needed to form an opinion of my fellow pilots," Ritsuko said, turning her attention back to her game, "but from a purely objective standpoint: she performed as well as could be expected from a complete newcomer. She was at least conductive to the success of the mission, if not entirely instrumental. My overall judgment is 'mediocre.'"

Kaworu sighed. "You never fail to meet my expectations."

* * *

"Here we are," Sakura said, stepping through the doorframe. She tossed her shoes aside and turned on the lights.

"Quite a place," Misato said. "Did Ultima Thule pay for this?"

"I hope so!" Sakura laughed, advancing into the main room of the apartment. It was already furnished comfortably, with rugs, a sofa, and a television set.

"Those must be the bedrooms," Sakura said, pointing down a hallway on the left side of the room. "Go choose the one you like…I'll take my pick from one of the others."

Misato nodded and wandered off down the hallway. She stopped at the second door and entered it, finding, as she had expected, a bedroom. It had a desk, a bookshelf, and a mat on the floor.

Misato walked to the center of the room and sank to her knees.

"Home," she said, and she began to feel tears welling up in her eyes.

* * *

Sakura had just walked in to ask if Misato would mind takeout, and instead found her lying facedown on the floor crying. Her first instinct was to say something - "What's wrong?" would be her first impulse.

But she knew that wouldn't help. It was only a few years ago that Sakura herself had been a teenager, and she knew that platitudes couldn't help her charge right now. What she needed was _real_ help.

She took a deep breath.

"Misato, come with me," she said. "I have to show you something."

With that, she walked out of the room. She was confident that Misato would follow, and the sound of lighter footsteps and sniffling behind her confirmed it.

She led Misato outside. Piles of boxes were stacked on one side of the door, all branded with the logo of Ultima Thule. Sakura searched the pile for one box, and found it sitting perched on top of two smaller stacks.

"They could've been a little more careful," she muttered. She carried the box inside and set it down on the floor.

"What is it?" Misato asked, glancing at the box in trepidation.

"An old friend," was all Sakura said. She removed the top from the box, revealing its only cargo: an old penguin sleeping soundly.

"His name's Pen-Pen," Sakura said. "I've had him since I was six years old. And…he's always been there for me, you know? But the funniest thing is…"

Misato stared at her new guardian in wonder. She could not remember a look more serene than was on this young woman's face right now.

"…the funny thing is, I only took him in because no one else wanted him."

They stared at each other for a few minutes before Sakura stood up, still cradling Pen-Pen in her arms.

"Is take-out okay?" Sakura asked.

Misato smiled. "Sure."

* * *

A/N: Sorry if this chapter seemed a little rushed - but I set a deadline for myself, and damn it, I'm going to keep that deadline.

So this chapter was mostly trying to set up some characters. Hopefully, I've established that this isn't the Misato you know and love.

Aside from that…the characters that have changed the most are Rei and Shinji. The reasons why they changed will be explored later on, but I imagine most of you can guess what they are already.

So. 21 tarot cards, excluding the Fool…I should have this thing finished by February. If I can keep my followers until then, I'll be satisfied.


	3. Interlude I: The Two of Wands

Novum Corpus Evangelion

Interlude I: The Two of Wands

Sakura walked out of her bedroom with a yawn. As usual, she'd gotten up early; it was one of her habits that she didn't care to think too much about and served her well enough anyway. She made her way to the kitchen and opened one cupboard, finding…

…nothing. Nothing except for an empty box of Pop-Tarts and crumbs.

Sakura sighed. She didn't know how large Misato's breakfasts were, and she didn't want to know. When they ate together, she practically inhaled her food. It made living with her rather difficult.

"I guess I can get something on the way to work," Sakura muttered.

"Work?"

Sakura spun around - reaching for a sidearm that wasn't there - and saw Misato standing in the hallway, still in her pajamas.

"Christ, Misato," she said. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."

Misato ignored her. "Can I come with you? I want to see what it is you people do all the time."

"You have school," Sakura said drily.

Misato shrugged. "School's a bore."

Sakura laughed. "You're gutsy," she said. "I appreciate that. Alright, you can come along if you want - but just once, okay?"

Misato nodded.

"You have my word," she said, and did a mock salute.

"Just get dressed," Sakura mumbled. _And if you think I'm paying for _your _breakfast…_

* * *

"I can't believe this," said Misato. "We've walked by this lift at least three times now!"

"You're the one who asked to follow me to work," Sakura said. "Damn it, this map's useless."

Reaching Ultima Thule headquarters in the Geofront was no problem, but navigating the place itself seemed beyond both their capabilities.

"Tell you what," said Sakura. "Let's double back to that one stairwell. I'm pretty sure I can find the way from there - "

At that moment, the elevator doors opened. Rei Ayanami entered the corridor in an instant when Sakura and Misato were on opposite sides of it, and the unfortunate lieutenant walked right into her with a squeak.

"Ah, Lieutenant Suzuhara," she said as the younger woman jumped back meekly. "You were meant to report to my office at seven - have you been wandering around for an entire hour?"

Sakura desperately sought an excuse, but found none. "That's correct, miss."

Rei glanced at Misato. "Why did you bring the Third Child along?"

"She asked," Sakura said plaintively.

The Lieutenant General sighed, then turned back to the lift. "Come with me, then," she said. "And in future, Miss Katsuragi, avoid playing hooky…we aren't paying your school fees for nothing, you know."

Misato and Sakura followed Rei into the elevator, where the two adults immediately launched into conversation about some arcane subject. Misato watched the floors tick away on the dial above the door, thinking to herself: _Why would they be paying my school fees?_

* * *

"You seem to be settling in well," Kaworu observed as he walked into Shinji's office. The General was sitting at a desk on the far side of the room, his chin resting on his knuckles. As Kaworu walked towards him, each step echoed in the vast space.

"It's more than adequate," Shinji grunted. "It's just like it was all those years ago - with the exception of a few refurbishments, of course."

He flicked a switch, and Kaworu jumped. The floor beneath him had lit up, revealing the image of a massive cross divided into four sections. Each section was colored differently, and displayed several symbols even he didn't know the meaning of - though he recognized the symbol as a whole immediately.

"The Rosy Cross," Kaworu said. "Amusing…but aren't such grandiose monuments likely to cause us more harm than good?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're the splitting image of the last man to use this office," Kaworu said, turning towards the door. "Just make sure you don't repeat his mistakes."

* * *

With a grunt, Rei dropped a final stack of papers onto Sakura's desk. She then stood back, admiring her work for a moment, and launched into commands.

"I need all these forms filled out and addressed to the proper departments," she said, "except for that pile, which you should give back to me once you've finished. Is that clear?"

"Yes, miss," Sakura replied, saluting. With an affirmative nod, Rei walked off, leaving Misato alone with a very plaintive Sakura.

"That's a lot," was all the younger girl could say. 'Can I help?' seemed too risky, somehow.

"You don't have to tell me," Sakura said, burying her face in the papers. "Look, Misato - there's a vending machine down the hall. Take some yen from my desk and go get me five - no, ten cans of coffee."

"Yes, miss!" Misato pulled a few notes out of a cabinet - barely resisting the urge to pocket a few - and set off, a bit worried about what kind of state her guardian would be in when she returned.

* * *

Left to her own devices, Rei Ayanami had wandered away from her office and gone down, deep below - intto the oldest chambers of headquarters, untouched for years.

She now stood in front of a large tube, filled with orange liquid, that was attached to the floor and ceiling by a mechanical apparatus. The room was unlit, but she had a lantern - it was enough to see directly in front of her, and nowhere else.

She placed a hand on the tube. When she drew it back, it had a thin layer of dust.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it," interjected a voice from behind her. She whipped around and saw a man in a beige uniform - a man with messy brown hair and glasses. He was older, but she could still recognize him immediately.

"Aida," Rei said, and bowed.

"Ayanami," he replied. "Why did you come down here?"

"I might ask the same thing of you," she said, turning back to the tube. "How did you even know this place existed?"

"I may not have spoken to you in fifteen years, but I never lost contact with Ikari," he said. "He thought - but didn't know - that this place might still exist." He smirked at her. "You know what this room is, right, Rei? This is the room where you - "

"Shut up."

Kensuke flinched.

"I don't know how much Shinji told you, but I advise you to forget about it. You have no place here, Aida. Good day."

She walked out of the room silently, glaring at Kensuke with a fury that could melt glass. When she was gone, he breathed a deep sigh of relief. _Jeez, _he thought. _She turned into a real bitch, huh?_

* * *

Misato noticed Sakura was beginning to bite the tip of her pen again. Each of the two times before that had happened, Sakura had soon begun to lecture her about some minutiae in the latest document. This time, Misato wanted to strike first.

"What're you reading?" she asked, looking over the lieutenant's shoulder.

"It's from the American branch," Sakura said. "Something about funds for 'Project R' being insufficient - I have no idea what that is, and you don't either, do you?"

Misato shrugged. "Sounds official, though. Why don't you ask Ayanami?"

"In case you didn't notice, she's no longer here," Sakura said. "Don't worry about it, though; she always wanders off like this."

"Wonder what she's doing," Misato murmured.

"I just need to get more information on this before I can fill it out," Sakura said. "Misato, get America on the line - ask for Doctor Langley."

Rolling her eyes, Misato reached for the phone.

Within a few minutes, Sakura was rubbing her forehead as she tried to talk to this 'Dr. Langley', whoever she was.

"Yes, I understand the meaning of the words 'top secret.' It's just that a budget of this much…I'm only following procedure, doctor. You don't have to tell _me _anything, just…oh, you'll talk to General Ikari? That's fine, do that."

She hung up the receiver with a sigh and picked up the document in question. Then she smiled.

"I wish I could see the general put her in her place," she said.

* * *

"Yes, that sounds reasonable," Shinji said. "Do you want a time extension as well? It's no problem - I'll inform the committee as soon as I can."

"Thank you," said the voice on the other end of the line. "That woman whom I was talking to before was no help at all. Nice to see you've grown up a bit."

"Oh, I haven't changed at all," Shinji said, reclining in his chair. "If anyone's changed, it'd be you."

"Hush," the other speaker said. "Don't you know this line is being monitored?"

"Of course it is," replied Shinji. "I'm the one monitoring it."

For a moment, there was silence on the other end.

"When can I see you again?"

"I'll make time for it," said Shinji. "And thank you, Asuka."

"Heh. No need to thank me - I do it because it's fun."

Shinji hung up, then looked across his desk. Kensuke was smirking.

"What happened to the Asuka I used to know?" he said. "Ayanami's gone sour, and she so sweet…it's like the world's gone topsy-turvy."

"We've all changed, in some ways," Shinji said. "Even you, Aida."

Kensuke laughed. "So when will the Rebis Project be completed?"

"It shall be done before Capricorn shines in the night sky," Shinji intoned. "Of course, by then, schedules and budgets won't matter."

"Indeed." Kensuke stood up. "Shall we proceed to the ceremony?"

"If you'd like," Shinji said, standing in turn, "but I'm warning you, Ayanami will be there as well."

Kensuke shot him a grin.

"You think I'd _mind _seeing her naked?"

* * *

Misato had never liked trains. In America, that had been fine, since hardly anyone used them. But in Japan, they were practically a way of life. She had a feeling this might be the hardest part of Japanese living to acclimate to - especially since everyone else was completely nonchalant about the whole thing.

"So, Misato," said Sakura, leaning over to speak to her charge over the noise of the train, "what did you think of today?"

Misato thought for a moment - about all she'd seen, and what was happening that she hadn't seen.

"People at Ultima Thule are weirdos."

Sakura sighed. "I guess I can't argue with that," she said.

The train trundled on, like a snake desperately seeking its own tail.


	4. The Empress

Novum Corpus Evangelion

Chapter 3: The Empress

"The enemy is at two o'clock!"

Misato whipped around just in time to dodge another missile thrown by the Emissary. She rolled over one shoulder and crouched in the shadow of a skyscraper as the projectile - a jet, its wings forcibly and crudely removed - smashed into a different building.

"Misato!" Rei's voice crackled. "Grab the pallet rifle from the building to your right!"

About two blocks down from Misato, the front of a building slid away, revealing a rifle hanging inside. Misato wasted no time in retrieving it. When she did, she instantly focused the enemy in her sights.

It was actually quite beautiful, in a way. It resembled the letter Pi, or perhaps one of the structures at Stonehenge; two columns that acted as legs, with a third resting atop the bottom two. One of the legs was black, and the other was chalk-white. The monster's core lay on the underside of the third pillar. It was there that she aimed.

The fire of the pallet gun cut the creature in half, and it collapsed to the ground. Misato relaxed.

"Got you, you son of a bitch," she muttered.

* * *

Rei breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to Shinji.

"Was that all according to plan?" she asked.

"Of course it was," he said. "However, the plan didn't mention that she would cause such a ruckus in the city."

Rei shrugged. "We won, right?"

The sound of a slap echoed across the school courtyard. Two seconds later, Misato Katsuragi hit the ground.

The girl who stood over her - the one who had delivered the slap - looked about the same age, but she had the body of an athlete. She kept her hair cropped close to her head, and wore a long skirt.

"How dumb can you be?" she said, rubbing her hand. "Do you know how much damage you caused in that fight yesterday? Were you even thinking about it?"

Misato looked up at her, her cheek tingling with pain.

"That's not my responsibility," she whimpered. "They make me pilot it…"

If she had expected this to help, it had the opposite effect. The girl seized her by the collar, lifted her up, and delivered a proper punch to Misato's jaw. Then she let go, allowing Misato to fall to the ground, and left.

"Sorry 'bout that," said the boy. He had been standing off to the side during the beating, but now approached Misato with a smile. "Maya's little sister got beat up bad during the attack yesterday - she had to take out her anger on someone, you know? Ah, speaking of which, I'd better go calm her down."

The boy ran off after Maya, leaving Misato in the courtyard - not alone.

Ritsuko Akagi walked over to her. For a moment, Misato felt paralyzed beneath her gaze, and she wondered if this girl was also going to take a shot at her. Instead, Ritsuko held out a hand.

"Come on," she said. "It doesn't look too bad - you can walk, can't you?"

Misato nodded, and grasped Ritsuko's hand.

"Thanks," she said as the other girl helped her to her feet.

"It's no problem," Ritsuko said. "I'm obligated to help the less capable, after all."

With that, she turned and left. Misato followed her.

Sakura entered the general's office meekly.

"Suzuhara," he said. "Please take a sit."

She did so, averting her eyes from his face.

"Lieutenant," Shinji began, "I received a report a short while ago that the Third Child was assaulted by a classmate last week. Why did you not inform me of this?"

Sakura sighed. The only answer she had was the one he'd hate the most.

"I didn't know," she said. "No one told me - not even Misato."

To her surprise, the general did nothing but raise an eyebrow. She chose to continue.

"She's not exactly the type to wear her feelings on her sleeve," she said. "I mean, she doesn't want anyone's sympathy."

Shinji nodded.

"I know the feeling," he said. Sakura had to raise her own eyebrow at this, but the general didn't seem to notice. "In any case, we'll have to increase security on both pilots."

"And what about the offender - this Ibuki?"

"Don't mind he," Shinji said, waving his hand. "Dismissed."

Sakura stood up, saluted, and left the room - feeling a bit relieved.

Misato had always hated classrooms. They were stifling and altogether too cramped; the rows and rows of identical desks and chairs always seemed to close in on her like a maze. She felt so nauseous in class that the droning tones of her instructors were almost a relief - they held her attention, at least momentarily.

On this day, however, she was focused on something else: the back of Ritsuko Akagi's head.

The First Child was still an enigma to Misato. They had interacted only a handful of times, not counting their initial battle; in each encounter only a few words were shared, and Ritsuko treated her no differently from everyone else. Only from another classmate, a boy named Makoto, was Misato able to gain some insight into the girl's facade.

"She's a super-genius," Makoto said. "I hear she already graduated from college, or something…isn't it cool?"

"I guess," Misato muttered. She now had another thing to attribute to Ms. Akagi: arrogance.

"Anyway, she transferred here a few months ago," Makoto continued. "She's got no friends, no extracurriculars…but she's one of the Evangelion pilots, right?"

Misato nodded.

"That'd explain it, then," said Makoto. "She's not half bad-looking, either. I mean, you're a girl, so - "

A shadow suddenly loomed over the pair of them. Makoto's voice squeaked into silence as he looked up.

"Akagi," Misato said. "What is it?"

"There's an emergency," Ritsuko said. "We're to report to headquarters, so…hurry up."

She ran off. Misato looked at Makoto, shrugged, and followed.

"The object appeared over the harbor at 900 hours this morning," Kaworu said. "It immediately advanced towards Tokyo-3."

The control room was wild with reports flinging left and right, eye-punishing displays flashing everywhere, and the clatter of feet. Shinji rubbed his brow.

"Dispatch Misato," he said.

"And Ritsuko?"

"Her unit still hasn't recovered from the battle with the second Emissary," Rei said. Kaworu sighed. At times, being the contrarian grew tiring.

_What's the point of piloting? _

_Do I do it to save people? What if people don't want to be saved?_

_What if they don't want to be saved by me?_

"Eva-06, launch!"

Misato felt the plug shudder and rattle as she rose up the shaft. Her face was a mask of grim determination.

_I don't care…It's just my job!_

She burst into the sunlight, now able to see the face of her enemy. It resembled a massive egg, raised above the ground by a force unknown; a line of eyes surrounded its middle.

"We're sending up the rifle," came Kaworu's voice. "Grab it from the building to your left."

The side of the building folded up, and Misato grabbed the weapon from underneath.

"Eat this, werewolf zombie!" she shouted, and fired directly at the Emissary.

"Quoting Tracy Jordan movies?" Kaworu laughed. "We've got a real winner, here."

"That idiot," said Rei. "She's creating a smokescreen for the enemy…"

"Sir!" One of the techies spun around in his chair, shouting. "We're detecting a high energy buildup in the target!"

Shinji jumped to his feet, and he could not disguise his alarm.

"Get her out of there!"

Misato stopped firing for one second. She didn't have enough time to register what happened in that second, but she felt the effects: being thrown back at least 50 meters, the pain of smashing into a skyscraper - a real skyscraper, this one - and then the slow but terrible burning sensation on her chest. She didn't look down; she only screamed.

Shinji's face was a mask of grim determination.

"There's no choice, then," he said. "I'll have to do it."

Kaworu raised an eyebrow. "You can't possibly mean…"

"I do," Shinji said, walking towards the lift. "Prepare Unit 01 for launch.

* * *

A/N: Sorry about how long this took, I was unable to write anything for about a week and after that I couldn't get back in the swing of things for a while. So things from here on out are likely different from what I had in mind earlier. Any discrepancies between the first three chapters and this or any following chapters are a result of this.


End file.
